After taking a road trip to Hunter Mountain to ski and ride on Friday with my sister, we decided to drive an extra hour to Troy, NY to visit her college roommate before returning home. Funny story about my sister and her roommate. They met freshman year at SUNY Potsdam, where they were going to be swimming together for the next four years. My sister’s roommate’s name is Jacqueline, and she has blonde hair, swam her entire life, and is part Cuban. If you know me, this is about to sound crazy, because my name is Jacqueline, I have blonde hair, swam my entire life, and my mom was born in Cuba. Now to make matters more bizarre, my sister’s roommate Jacqueline, has a sister named Alexandra. I can promise you, I am not making this up, but my sisters name is also Alexandra. From freshman year in college, their mom started to actually believe we all had to be related in someway, because this had to be too much of a coincidence.
Since Jacqueline knew we were going to be near her sister’s hometown, she invited us to stay the weekend with them. I had met Jacqueline before, but had not met her sister yet. Her sister Alexandra and I, immediately clicked within minutes… you would think we had been best friends. While talking to Alexandra, she began to tell me story, that last year she had gone to visit her friend in Puerto Rico, who was best friends with a girl she believed went to Marist and had spent her whole freshman year abroad. Well funny story, that friend happened to be one of my roommates last year. We were both in shock, because this whole thing was insane. At this point, I’m sure you must be thinking they are crazy, but I promise you they are not!
The weekend was filled with a lot of wine, laughs, board games and barbeque. If you have not yet played Pokemon Monopoly, I highly recommend it. I was never a huge monopoly fan because I felt the game never ended, but it was one of the best editions I have ever played. While staying at their apartment, we also had the opportunity to tour Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, which is where both, her sister and brother go. The campus was gorgeous, with great facilities, and just a little bit bigger than Marist. During our time at RPI, I had the opportunity to check out their brother’s Robotics Competition -which was pretty cool stuff.
The highlight of my trip had to be the Dinosaur Barbecue. If you know me, you would probably say my favorite thing to do is travel. But my second favorite thing to do is eat… and boy did I eat! We had heard the place was good, but I was not expecting it to be fabulous. This was one of the places where you go to eat, and cannot leave a crumb on your plate. I had a pulled pork sandwich, with a side of mac and cheese and another side of sweet potatoes (Sorry Mom, I know that’s not exactly healthy). Every bite was heaven! I was even more impressed when the person who delivered our food, knew exactly whose dish was whose without even asking, and he was not even our server. I can go on and on about my love for this place, but I will leave you with this, if you are in Troy, GO!
Before we headed home, we were able to stop at the New York State Museum. If you are on a college budget, like all of us, you will love that there is no entry fee. The gallery within the museum was incredible and filled with tons of abstract and expressionist pieces. They even had a piece by Jackson Pollock, a renowned artist known for his splatter paint pieces. Along with the artwork, the museum also has a section of gems and crystals, from all over New York State. The museum also featured a special 9/11 Memorial Exhibit, the most comprehensive collection of artifacts from the September 11th terrorist attack on the World Trade Center. This exhibit included many objects, videos, and interactive stations documenting the tragedy of 911. It really hit home for me!
I had such a fun on this road trip, and I am looking forward to more in the future!
Jackie Gruber 